Domestic appliance



March 10, 1925. 1,528,776

R. L. LEE

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed April 0. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 66 78 7 1 4223 he I l 56 65 .34 I I 1 l 3 43 I I I I 7 I :2 H 32 {I HI I I I t H H 4/ ll 1 l 'l I l l l l n''.-. 'lll ll'm'" l I I ll [1522725555 fnlzrenffir .71 I P}? LlLee.

v i 15 27W March 10, 1925.

R. L. LEE

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed April 30, 1923 2'Sl'1eets-Shee1'.- 2

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[nuenZczr' Rat/,0 L Lee 21'? 5 DJTZE Patented Mai. 10,1925.

UNIT ED STATES V v 1,528,776 PATENTOFFICE.

RALPH L. LEE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DELCO-LIGHT COMPANY, OF DAYTON,

OHIO, A CORPORATION '3 DELAWARE.

nomus'rrc APrLrANcn To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, RALPH L. LEE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomery, State. of

Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Domestic Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electric motor driven washing machines and more particu larly to that type of washing machine in-' clu ing a movable shaft which is oscillated by the operation of an electric motor which is automatically reversed.

An object of the invention is to provide a more simple motor reversing mechanism for washing machines, and a mechanism having means for varying the range of oscillation of the washing machine shaft.v

the accompanying drawings, whereina pre-- ferred embodiment of the invention is clearly disclosed.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a viewin eleva-,

tion of a Washing machine, the gear housing being shown in section and apart of the tub broken away to show the location of the dolly, and operating mechanism; x

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the operating mechanism, the gear casing being shown in section for the sake of clearness; and

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram showing the cirga cuit connections for effecting the reversing of the motor. v

Referring to the drawings, the washing machine 20 comprises a tub 21 provided with a hinged cover 22, and adapted to be supported by a base 23 mounted on casters 24. Cover 22 is provided with a central aperture 25. A gear, casing 30 is attached to the cover 22 by screws 31, the base of said casing providing a bearing 32, the lower portion of which is received by aperture 25, the upper portion thereof extending upwardly into the interior of casing 30. A dolly shaft 40, supporting a dolly 41, is journalled .in bearing 32 and carries a gear 42 attached thereto by key '43. 5o Shaft 40 is threaded to receive a nut 44 which holds'the gear 42 in place and prevents the shaft 4O dropping through bearing 32. The upper end of shaft 40 is provided with a reduced portion 45. A gear casing cover 33, secured to the casing 30 by screws 34, is

- able manner.

Further objects and advantages of the Application filed April 80, 1923. Serial No. 685,461.

provided with a central aperture through which the reduced portion 45 passes. Casing 30 receives a threaded plug 35 provided with a central bore 36 which serves as a bearing for one end of shaft 50, the opposite end of said shaft being supported by a bearing formed by the hollow neck portion 37 of the casing 30. Worm gear 51 formed integrally gear 42.

An electric motor 100 of the reversing type including separate reversing fields 101 and 102 is attached to the'cover 22 in any suit- The armature shaft of the motor is connected with'the shaft 50 through shaft and to shaft 50 by set screws .56 and 57 respectively. n

A cam 65 is attached to the reduced portion 45 of shaft '40 outside the cover 33. Directly above this cam 65.there is a switch shifting link 71. having connection with a switch 70, to be described, provided with an elongated slot 72 through which the'portion 45 projects. Rollers 73 and 74 are attached on opposite sides of link 71. Cam 66, located above link 71 is attached to portion 45 by screw 67. By theme of screw 67, the" cam 66 may be secured to shaft 45 in various positions of angular adjustment relative to cam 65. In thi way the range of oscillation of shaft 45 may be varied to suit the requirements of the washing device which is driven by shaft 45.

The switch 70 (shown dia rammatically in' cured to cover 22 by screws 75 and comprises Fig. 3 and in plan view in Fig. 2) is sewith shaft 50 meshes with gear teeth 46 on s the Oldham coupling attached to the motor a switch casing 76 provided with a rectangular aperture 77 in the top ,thereof, through which lever 78 passes and is pivoted within said casing. as at 79. Link 71 is attached to lever 7 8 by pin 80 whi h passesthrough hole 81in lever 78 and a corresponding hole in the end of link 71, said pin being held in place by a cotter pin 82. Located within switch'casing 76 is aswitch arm 85 provided with contacts 86 and 87, and pivoted at 88. A coil spring 90 is attached to lever 78 by pin 91 and to switch arm 85 by pin 92. Stops 93and 94. spaced equally distant from the pivot point 79. arelocated within the switch its Fields 101 ando102 are wound so as to produce opposite magnetic effects with respect to the motor armature to cause it to rotate in opposite directions as the fields are successively and alternately connected with the current source. Theopposite ends of these fields are connected with motor brush 103. Motor brush 104 and switch arm 85 are connected with a suitable source of electrical current through wires 105 and 106 respectively.

Mode of operation-Assuming that the circuit connections are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the circuit from the source of current will be through wire 105, brush 104, across the motor armature to brush 103', through winding 102, contact 96, contact 87, and "back to the current source through wire 106. The motor 100 will rotate the shaft through coupling 55, the teeth of worm gear 51 engaging with the teeth 46 of gear 42, thereby rotating the gear 42 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, at the same time rotating the cam 66'ia1rd dolly 41 in the same direction. As the cam 66 rotates and bears against the lug 74, the lever 71 will be shifted to the right, as viewed in. Fig. 2. At the same time the lever 78 will be shifted on its pivot, and as soon as this lever passes its dead center, the spring 90 will snap the switch arm 85 over, through its pivotal connection 88, causing contacts 87 and 96 to be quickly broken and contacts 86 and 95 quickly brought together thus exciting the field 101 and causing the motor to rotate in the opposite direction. At this time the nose 66 of cam 66 is in contact with the stop 74. The circuit connections will now be from the battery through wire 106, contact 86, contact 95, through winding 101, brush 103, across the motor armature, brush 104, and back to the battery via wire 105. V

As the direction of rotation of the motor is reversed, the shaft 50 will be rotated in the reverse direction, thus rotating the gear 42 counterclockwise and likewise rotatingthe dolly 41. As the gear 42' rotates inthis direction, the cam 65 willnshift the lever 71 to the left through contact with the lug 73 until the nose contacts with the stop 73, at which time, as described before, the contacts 86 and 95 will be quickly broken and the contacts 87 and 96 quickly reestablished, thus energizing the field 102 and reversing the direction of rotation of the motor 100, and likewise the direction of rotation of the gear 42 and the doll 41.

The apparatus may be readily isassembled for repairs or replacement of parts. The cam 66 maybe removed from the portion 45 by loosening the screw 67. Then after removing the cotter pin 82 from the pin 80 and" removing the pin, the lever 71 may be lifted off the portion 45. The cam 65 may then be removed from portion 45 and the cover 33 lifted off the casing 30 after the screws 34 have been removed. As soon as the nut 44 is removed, the shaft 40 will drop through the bearing 32.' Then the gear 42 may be removed from the casing 30. After the screws 56 and 57 have been loosened, and the plug 35 removed from the casing 30, the shaft 50 may be removed through the plug hole. The casing may then be removed from the cover 22 by removal'of the screws 31, thus permitting the Oldham coupling 55 to also be removed from the motor shaft. The motor 100 and switch may then be readily removed from the cover 22.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described constitutes a preferred embodiment of one form of the invention, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted and various changes and alterations made in the shape, size and proportion of the elements therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the in- ,vention. What is claimed is as follows:

1. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a shaft for operating a washing device, a motor for driving the shaft, means for automatically reversing the motor to oscillate the shaft, and means for Varying the range of oscillation of the shaft.

2. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a shaft, a ,motor for driving the shaft, a motor reversing switch a pair of cams mounted for coaxial rotation and driven by said shaft, means for adjusting one of the cams angularly relative to the other cam, and mechanism operated by said cams for intermittently operating the reversing switch.

3. A washing machine. comprising, in combination, a shaft, a motor for driving the shaft, a motor reversing switch, a pair of cams mounted on said shaft, a link connected with the switch and mounted to slide between said cams, and cam followers mounted on opposite sides of said link and engagcable, respectively, with said cams.

4. A Washing machine comprising, .in combination, a tub having a cover, a shaft extending through said cover and operating a washing device within the tub,"a gear housing detachably secured to the cover and supporting the shaft, a motor mounted on the cover, driving means connecting the motor and shaft and including reduction gearing located in the housing, and motor reversing mechanism'in'cluding a reversing 4 tending through the gear housing and into the tub for driving a Washing devicelocated in the tub, a motor mounted on the cover, driving means connecting the motor and shaft including reduction gearing in the housing, and motor reversing mechanism including a reversing switch and a pair of cams located outside the housing and operated by said shaft.

6. A washing machine including an operating shaft, a gear housing through which the shaft extends, a washlng element at tached to the shaft on one side of the housing, a motor, a motor reversing switch, and means operated by the shaft for intermittently operating said switch and located outside the housing and adjacent the side thereof remote from the Washing element.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

RALPH L. LEE. Witnesses:

MILDRED PEARE, WARREN SCEMILDING. 

